Now 105 people have contacted the police to say they were abused at Aston Hall by Kenneth Milner
More than 100 alleged victims of horrific experiments and
abuse at a Derbyshire hospital have now come forward - making it the
county's biggest-ever probe into crimes against children.
Police are investigating the actions of controversial medic Dr Kenneth Milner at
Aston Hall Hospital in the 1960s and 70s, where he is accused of pumping vulnerable youngsters with drugs to correct "deviant" behaviour.
Allegations about his actions were first highlighted by the Derby
Telegraph in an investigation. Police have written to victims to say
they have identified 58 crimes.
Now, we can reveal 105 people
have contacted the police to claim they were abused. Expert lawyers
representing them say this is the biggest case they have come across in
Derbyshire.
And one of the country's leading abuse lawyers says it is one of the
biggest abuse scandals he has come across in a mental health
institution.
The Horrors of Aston Hall
Dianne Collins, of Nelsons Solicitors in Lodge Lane, Derby, represents around 30 people.
She said: "I have never come across a case like this before, it's the
biggest we've ever done or are aware of in terms of people coming
forward.
"And I think this is just the tip of the iceberg, there
will be a lot of other people out there who have not come forward or
who might have died which is very sad because they will not be able to
get justice.
"One hundred and five is a very high number and I
suspect the national coverage this story has received would have meant
more people coming forward."
Dianne Collins
Richard Scorer, who has been described as one of Britain's leading
specialists in the field of abuse law, said the Aston Hall case was
"major".
Mr Scorer, who works at legal firm Slater and Gordon,
said: "This is highly serious and one of the biggest abuse scandals in a
mental health institution. It's is very substantial.
"It looks
like Dr Milner had a complete liberty to abuse and it appears there were
no safeguarding procedures in place to stop that happening. I have
represented 168 alleged victims of Jimmy Savile but that was across
various institutions but this is just one.
"Somebody like this
would have had a lot of power over very vulnerable victims, especially
because this was in a mental health setting. They could not leave and
anything they said against him would not be believed."
Mr Scorer said they would have been seen as "unreliable".
Stephen Edwards from Liverpool-based Been Let Down, is representing
numerous victims. He said in his career he had never worked on a case
with so many people claiming abuse.
He said: "I've never come
across or worked on anything on this magnitude before. This is a very
unusual case and I imagine there are a lot more than the 105 who have
contacted the police. I am aware of people who have for whatever reason
not wanted to go to the police or me as a lawyer. I think it's a
positive thing that so many have contacted the police."
Dr Milner
is accused of restraining young patients and pumping them with drugs
and then making them relive past experiences. Some alleged victims claim
he sexually abused them.
A letter sent to alleged victims last month by
Derbyshire police
said they were in the process of recording crime types in relation to
the accounts given. It said once all accounts are obtained it would
prepare a report for consideration of the Crown Prosecution Service.
The letter says the police are confident there are sufficient
resources for the investigation to continue and more people are
contacting them making claims against Dr Milner.
Dr Milner died
in 1976. Numerous alleged victims are claiming compensation from the
Department for Health for what they say happened to them.
An
obituary in the British Medical Journal on January 31, 1976, stated Dr
Milner was born on June 26, 1909, and educated at Wakefield Grammar
School and Leeds University, graduating with honours in 1933. He gained
his medical doctorate there in 1939.
Derbyshire police have
issued some helplines for anyone in need. They said, for immediate help
and support, people should call the Samaritans on 116 123.
Within office hours, people can telephone health workers Andrew Rayner
or Liz Holmes on 01332 623700, ext 31537. If people require support for
their mental health outside of normal office hours, they should contact
their out-of-hours health service.
http://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/lawyers-say-this-is-the-biggest-child-abuse-scandal-they-have-come-across-in-derbyshire/story-30355797-detail/story.html
